Madurai's nightlife and food scene rocks!Now, before you imagine any further...let me clarify that it does not have a single pub, club or award winning restaurant to its name. But the city is abuzz with activity and comes alive at night. It definitely is a city that never sleeps. Be cautioned....you could get quite drunk on the unique experiences, myriad flavours and exceptional sights!
To savour Madurai's nightlife to the hilt it would help to follow some of the guidelines below:
At dusk, head to the 'Portramarai Kulam,' housed in the Meenakshi temple. This is Madurai's answer to its lack of a beach and what a lovely alternative it is! But before that make sure you have your appetizer on hand. Go to the temple 'prasadam' stall and buy yourself a hot vadai and a chewy adirasam (they make the best in the temple). Relish the crispiness of the vadai interspersed with the sweetness of the adirasam. Listen to the idle chatter around you, enjoy the cool breeze circling the pond and be transported to another era!
Make a pit-stop at the 'PudhuMandapam', Madurai's heritage shopping Mall. I assure you that it will be like no other that you have seen anywhere in the world. These are rows of little shops (selling silk, artifacts, bags) with just a single bulb hanging above for light, wedged in between intricately carved pillars. Shop till you drop! This is one Mall where you will be charged only for the merchandise. No extra charges and no GST!
Walk into any restaurant near the temple. The more crowded the better. In Madurai, we prefer alfresco dining and so don't be surprised if you find yourself seated on a wooden plank under a starry night. Do make it a point to start your meal with steaming idlis. Madurai idlis can be easily compared against the quality of New York bagels and French pastries. Nowhere in India will you find idlis so soft. Your waiter (in all possibility a teenage boy in dirty shorts and a brilliant smile) will place a hygenic plantain leaf in front of you. Then he will throw a few of the fluffies and pour a generous helping of sambhar and chutney. Dip your hands into the sambhar and sink your teeth into the soft, white, spongy beauties.
All those idlis and fiery sambhar need to be washed down with something. Coffee, of course is always an option but for a taste of the 'real' Madurai you must find a 'Pal kadai'. These shops will be easy to find. Make-shift tin boxes standing on stilts with huge brass vessels boiling and double boiling fresh cow's milk. Peep into one of the brass vessels (be careful not to fall in.....they are huge!) and you will immediately be intoxicated with the heady aroma emerging from it. The milk would have acquired a hue somewhere inbetween a pale rose and off-white. The thick layers of cream on the top will be a darker yellow. Order a frothy cuppa with a sheath of cream and be transported to heaven!
There's bound to be some 'thiruvizha'(festival) happening around the area. Mingle in, watch the people, enjoy the entertainment (drama, dance, music). Its all for free!
If you are peckish (idlis can be very light) then stroll down to a 'kuthu parotta kadai'(store selling flaky fried wheat bread). Again, very easy to spot. The sounds of the metal spoon mincing the egg and parotta will beckon you. If that doesn't, then at the entrance you will see a man in a torn singlet throwing and bashing up a piece of translucent dough. Quite similar to the Italian pizza.The flaky layers of the parotta will melt in your mouth leaving you craving for more.
What's a meal without dessert? Somewhere next to the parotta stall there is bound to be a push cart selling 'Jigarthanda'. Madurai's very own recipe for the 'triple malt milkshake'. The taste is indescribable as the flavours are myriad and very intricate to put in words. The closest that I have tasted to the jigarthanda is Haagen Daz's Dulce De Leche. The float is a creamy brownish liquid with assorted pieces of nuts, china grass and a whole lot of unknown goodies. This is topped with two scoops of the 'secret recipe' icecream.
The midnight air can get quite heady in Madurai with the numerous parotta and idli stalls burning their flames high. Cool off with every spoonful of jigarthanda and carry special memories of your trip to Madurai!
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